The New York Mets hoped Frankie Montas would be a steady mid-rotation anchor when they signed him to a two-year, $34 million deal this past offseason.

They pictured Montas racking up strikeouts, keeping hitters off balance, and giving the rotation a layer of reliability it desperately needed.

When Montas is right, his arsenal can make even elite hitters look lost, the way a chess master outthinks an amateur in five moves.

But that vision unraveled before the season even started, as Montas suffered a significant lat strain in spring training that cost him months.

The injury not only delayed his debut but also robbed him of the sharpness that once defined his game.

By the time Montas finally took the mound, he was fighting both rust and the uphill climb of regaining his confidence on th

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